Exodus 30:12-16

The numbering of Israel and their ransom. I. THE NUMBERING OF THE PEOPLE , AN EMBLEM OF THE JUDGMENT . God's claims were brought home to them; their unworthiness was contrasted with the place assigned to them as the people whom God had visited with his light and salvation. When we remember that we are the Lord's, and the light of that just claim is shed upon our life, it is to our shame and confusion. But life will be read at last in this very light! II. THE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:11-17

The atonement money. It pertained to the full admission of Israel to theocratic privilege, that, the nation as a whole having been admitted into covenant, a formal registration should be made of at least the grown part of the community. Directions were accordingly issued for the taking of a census, which had also in view a more complete military organisation of the nation than as yet existed. The males of the tribes from twenty years old and upwards were to be made to pass before Jehovah,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:12

When thou takest the sum . The sum had been taken roughly at the time of the exodus ( Exodus 12:37 ). Moses was now, it would seem, about to take it again, more accurately. No command had ever been given that the people should riot be numbered; and the Egyptian habit of compiling exact statistics naturally clung to one who had had an Egyptian training. A ransom . Rather "an expiation," "an atonement"—(as in Exodus 29:33 , Exodus 29:36 )—something to show that he was conscious of sin,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:12-16

The atonement money. Remark three things:— I. THE ATONEMENT MONEY WAS REQUIRED OF ALL . "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" ( Romans 3:23 ). "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" ( 1 John 1:8 ). There was to be no exemption. Moses and Aaron were to bring their half-shekel no less than the others; the priests had to make the offering, just the same as the laity; the rulers, as much as the common people. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:13

Half a shekel . The shekel of later times was a silver coin, about the size round of our shilling, but considerably thicker, and worth about one shilling and eightpence. But at the date of the exodus coins were unknown, and the "shekel" meant a certain weight. The burthen imposed by the tax was evidently a light one. The shekel of the sanctuary . A standard weight in the possession of the priests, equal probably to about 220 grains troy. Twenty gerahs . The word " gerah "means" a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:14

From twenty years old and upward . Twenty was the age at which an Israelite was reckoned a man; at twenty he became liable to serve in the wars ( 2 Chronicles 25:5 ), and entered otherwise on the duties of citizenship. At twenty the Levites began their service in the temple ( 1 Chronicles 23:24 , 1 Chronicles 23:27 ; 2 Chronicles 31:17 ; Ezra 3:8 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:15

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less. This is very emphatic testimony to the equal value of souls in God's sight. The payment was "the ransom of a soul" ( Exodus 30:12 )—an acknowledgment of God's mercy in sparing those whose life was justly forfeit. As each soul that he has created is equally precious in his sight, and as he designs equally the salvation of all—it was fitting that the same exact sum should be paid in every case. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:16

The application of the "atonement money" is stated more distinctly in Exodus 38:27 , Exodus 38:28 . It was employed for the silver sockets that supported the boards of the tabernacle, and for the hooks, capitals, and connecting rods of the pillars which surrounded the court. Thus employed, it was a continual "memorial" in the eyes of the people, reminding each man of his privileges and duties read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 30:11-16

The Ransom of Souls. - Exodus 38:25-28. On comparing these words with those of Numbers 1:1-3, we may perhaps infer that the first passage relates to a mere counting of the adult Israelites at the time when the money was taken from each, and that what the latter passage enjoins was a formal enrolment of them according to their genealogies and their order of military service.A ransom for his soul - What the sincere worshipper thus paid was at once the fruit and the sign of his faith in the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:11-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:11-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:11-17

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:12

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:12-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 30:16

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 30:11-16

Group of Brands